Collision Type No. 8 > The Rear End, Part II

Skate safety:

10 Ways to Not Get Hit

Collision Type No. 8
The Rear End, Part II

A car runs into you from behind. This is what many road skaters fear the most. But it's not the most common kind of accident (except maybe at night or on long-distance skates outside the city). However, it's one of the hardest collisions to avoid, since you're not usually looking behind you.

The best way to avoid this one is to ride on very wide roads or in bike lanes or on roads where the traffic moves slowly. Most often, rear-end collisions happen at night. Getting rear-ended in the daylight is rare.

How to avoid this collision:

1. Wear a rear light. If you're skating at night, you absolutely should use a flashing red rear light. Bruce Mackey (head of bike safety in Nevada) says that 60 percent of bike collisions in Florida are caused by cyclists riding at night without lights. In 1999, 39 percent of deaths on bicycles nationwide occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight.

Bike shops have red rear blinkies for $15 or less. These lights typically take two AA batteries and last for months (something like 200 hours). I can't stress this item enough: If you skate at night, get a rear light!

2. Wear a reflective vest or a safety triangle. High quality reflective gear makes you a lot more visible even in the day time, not just at night. I had a bicyclist ride away from me while wearing one during the day, and when she was about a quarter mile away, I couldn't see her or her bike at all, but the vest was clearly visible. At night the difference is even greater. Bike shops have vests and triangles for $10 to $15. Also, when you hear a motorist approaching, straighten up into a vertical position. It will make your reflective gear more noticeable.

3. Choose wide streets. Skate on streets with lanes wide enough to easily fit a car and a skater side by side. That way a car may zoom by you and avoid hitting you, even if they didn't see you!

4. Choose slow streets. The slower a car is going, the more time the driver has to see you. I navigate the city by going through neighborhoods. Learn how to do this.

5. Use back streets on weekends. The risk of getting hit on Friday or Saturday night is much greater due to all the drunks on the road. If you do skate on a weekend night, make sure to take neighborhood streets rather than arterials.

6. Get a mirror. Get a mirror and use it. If it looks like a car doesn't see you, hop onto a sidewalk or lawn. Mirrors cost $5-15. Trust me, once you've gotten used to a mirror, you'll wonder how you got along without it. My paranoia dropped 80 percent after I got a mirror. If you're not convinced, after you've used your mirror for a month, try skating without it. You'll notice how you keep glancing down to where your mirror was.

7. Don't hug the curb. This is counter-intuitive, but give yourself a little space between yourself and the curb. That gives you some room to move in case you see a large vehicle approaching without moving over far enough to avoid you.

(Go to Collision Type No. 10)